Products I Use For My Special Needs Pup!

I had meant to write about something else today, but my last post inspired quite a few of you to message me about my dog and ask how I’ve helped him navigate life with his health issues….so that is what I shall write about today!

In a nutshell, my little senior rescue pup was diagnosed with a few congenital issues due to breeding malpractices (he was a puppy mill rescue). At a young age he developed a collapsing trachea, IVDD, later lost vision in both eyes due to cataracts, and a year later was diagnosed with pancreatitis.

It’s been a long, exhausting, stressful (and expensive!) journey with my good boy. Despite all of it, I would not have chosen differently. I do believe that our pets often find us rather than the other way around, and I definitely feel this is true for my little guy. I don’t know that just anyone would have taken on what we have, and it breaks my heart when I see post after post on social media of abandoned pets especially ones with special needs. I hate to think what might have happened to my pup if he had ended up in the wrong hands.

I know that having a special needs pet is ten times the responsibility of a “normal” one. I also know that the love and appreciation they show is even bigger. Affording all of the care and supplements and special foods he has needed over the years hasn’t be easy. I have often gone without more so that he wouldn’t have to.

I‘ve also spent hours and hours researching the best ways to care for him and keep him as happy and comfortable as possible. I’ve also found that online groups and forums often have better answers than some veterinarian offices (I might get in trouble for saying this…but it’s true!). In my search to find the right things for my pup’s health, I often ran into very script like responses from the professionals, or a lot of guessing, and not enough solutions. To be honest, the most effective solutions I’ve found were from other pet parents who had had to learn from trial and error after one too many unsuccessful vet visits. I do believe that vets do amazing work and have saved many, many of our fur babies. If your pet has special needs you will also need a file started at a veterinarian’s office (I recommend a holistic vet if possible)…but once in a while we find answers in the least expected places, and that’s another reason I wanted to write this post.

I want to share a few of the products and tips I’ve been using for Joey to help him with all of his struggles. I know there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to treating anyone, anything, or any pet….but I’ve learned a lot over the years and this is what has worked well for many pups and mine! I’ve shared advice on groups just as advice has been shared with me, but today I’m putting it all in one place….and I hope it helps whoever finds it!

Canine Cataracts:

When it comes to cataracts, it is very important to establish care with a Veterinary Ophthalmologist so that they can keep track of your dog’s eyes and see if there needs to be a specific treatment plan in place due to glaucoma or other complications that may arise. Some dogs are good candidates for cataract surgery, while others are not. Because of my pup’s age and pancreatitis, surgery is contraindicated, so I do what I can to keep his eyes comfortable and enrich his life with things like snuffle mats that he can sniff for treats in and give him a heightened sensory experience. Allowing long slow walks (or Sniffaris as some of us with blind dogs like to call them) helps a lot too. Blind dogs develop an even keener sense of smell, so you want to allow them as much time to sniff around as possible….even if it means it take 20 minutes to go two blocks ha!

I did try many eye drops to see if any would help reduce his cataracts. Total waste of money and a warning to all….don’t fall for the hype or “good reviews”. Once a cataract forms, only surgery can remove it. All of the supposed miracle eye drops will do nothing to reduce the cataracts, but they most certainly will reduce your bank account! I do rub organic hexane free castor oil on his eyelids every night to help reduce dry eye and inflammation which has been working wonderfully for him.

IVDD

We are still not 100% sure that Joey truly had IVDD (intervertrebal disc disease) because this tends to be a lifelong diagnosis, but after one terrible, 4 month battle with it, it seems to have gone away. With this diagnosis our vet gave us only the option for a costly ($10K) surgery that did not have a high percentage of permanent success along with three months’ worth of steroid treatment. I was recently divorced and struggling financially so I knew there was no way I would be able to finance such an expensive surgery especially without the promise that it would actually “cure” him. The steroids were the only the only thing that helped him with the pain, but they were not without their side effects. (Our ophthalmologist and some side research I did on my own both concluded that his cataracts were most probably a side effect of prolonged high dosage use of steroids).

I tend to have a researcher’s brain so I started looking up alternative treatments for IVDD and happened upon a website for a physical therapy office for dogs in West Los Angeles, near where we were living at the time. I was immediately taken in by their website showing several success stories of pups just like mine. I made an appointment and took Joey in, he was seen for a total of 5 sessions over the course of a month and was treated with Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and cold laser therapy. To me, it was magic, because whereas our traditional vet was saying surgery would be the only way for Joey….this place allowed us to skip that costly and potentially dangerous step and give him back his quality of life.

For anyone in the Los Angeles area (or really anywhere because they are worth traveling to!) I recommend Two Hands Four Paws without hesitation. Always look for alternatives, always look for seconds options, always always….I’m glad I did!

Canine Pancreatitis:

This one also needs a diagnosis and file started with your vet in case your pup has trouble getting over flares or does not seem to be getting better. When a dog is having a pancreatic flare, they may need painkillers, IV hydration, and anti-emetics, all of which only a vet should provide. Once the flare has passed and it comes time to figuring out how to avoid another one, that’s when things get tricky. Some vets will prescribe a specific food, others tell you to find foods that are low in fat on your own. My vet did the latter, and I’m grateful for that because a lot of the pet parents online have complained about the quality of the pet food their dogs were prescribed. I did a lot of research and read post after post in forums from other pancreatic dog owners and found both a wet and dry food that have worked perfectly for Joey. They are both from small pet companies and the ingredients were some of the best that I’d seen in pre-packaged foods. Some pet owners opt to home cook all meals for their pancreatic pups, but if you don’t have the time or ability to do this then finding good, healthy alternatives is priceless.

For dry food I use Annamaet Grain-Free Lean Reduced Fat Formula. Some pancreatic pups can’t handle kibble, but this has been good for my little guy and he likes to graze on it randomly throughout the day. Every dog will have their own specific foods and feeding schedules that they can tolerate so this portion of things is very much a trial and error…but starting off slow and with small portions is the best way to go. Panc-dogs also tend to need a few smaller meals throughout the day rather than a couple of large ones, so I feed Joey 4 small scoops of wet food and add a little pureed pumpkin to each scoop. The wet food that has worked best for him is Solid Gold Fit & Fabulous. He loves this stuff, it has good ingredients, low fat, and a lot less expensive than many other options I had researched. Once a day I will add a little scoop of Herbsmith Organic Slippery Elm to help keep his digestive tract calm, and in the evening he gets half of a famotidine tablet (which you can get from your vet or google the Pepcid dosage for their weight). To his other meals I add a serving of Probiotic Miracle and Enzyme Miracle to keep his gut microbiome healthy and happy.

The only treats he can have are frozen green beans, chunks of boiled chicken, a couple of plain Cheerios, and desiccated chicken treats from Trader Joe’s. I’ve tried desiccated chicken treats from other brands and they always upset his stomach so now it’s TJs or bust! The funny thing is, that ever since I added all of these supplements and completely changed his diet, not only has his pancreas been happier, but he has had the best and most regular poops of his life…..and NO MORE STINKY GAS!

Since dogs have have pancreatic flares from stress and anxiety as well, I do try to avoid situations that might cause his distress. So, I don’t take him to unfamiliar places if I can help it and he does not go for car rides unless absolutely necessary (he does not like life on the road lol!). On the occasions where I do need to take him somewhere, Bach’s Rescue Remedy for Dogs works a charm to keep him calm(er). When I leave the house to run an errand or work, I always leave the TV so outside noises won’t startle him, and he gets lots and lots of doggy massages when I get back home!

Collapsing Trachea

This is a tricky one and it took several vets to diagnose him. I can’t honestly remember when exactly this started, but one day, seemingly out of the blue Joey started sounding like a quacking duck when I would take him out on wsalk. If he’d eat too fast or get too excited he would end up in a fit of choking. Now, there are different degrees of collapsing trachea, and some can be severe and fatal. Joey’s, thankfully, is manageable and although he still quacks like a duck if it’s too hot out or has a few fits of coughing after an episode of zoomies….he generally does really well thanks to a few natural remedies like Throat Gold and Breathe Easy Respiratory Support. A little diluted Manuka honey also helps!

Since I have to make sure that his respiratory tract is as unbothered as possible, it’s another good reason to keep my home as toxin and artificial fragrance free as possible. This includes using detergents, cleaning products, and even personal care items that are made with all natural, clean ingredients. When it comes to keeping the outdoor turf clean and smelling fresh we use Simple Green Outdoor Odor Eliminator, and even though my goodest boy does not have indoor potty accidents, whoever lived in the house we are renting before us must have had a pet that left it’s “mark”! Now, I’ve not had great luck with pet odor or stain removers that were natural in the past but Alzoo Stain & Odor Remover has been a game changer. It has 100% plant based ingredients and the subtle apple blossom scent leaves formerly soiled spots looking and smelling fresh as a ….. blossom!… in about 30 minutes. This spray is actually one of my must-have pet products because it is so safe to use around Joey and helped us keep him from taking on the bad habits of other pets that once lived here. (Did you know that if you move somewhere where a pet has peed inside, that your pet may be triggered to start marking inside the home as well?)

Here are a few of our favorite things!

That’s it in a nutshell! All of the products that, after a lot of hits and misses, I have found work beautifully to keep my special boy as comfortable, healthy, and happy as possible. He brings so much love and joy to my life, and it’s all I can do to return that massive favor! Hopefully some of these products will work as well for your favorite good boy or girl too, and please leave me a comment below if you have natural pet product recommendations that you also use and love!

DISCLAIMER: As an affiliate, I make a small portion of sales made via some of the links in my blog.